A lovely little space

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Lunch breaks are best when spent writing. 😉

Much about the way I write has changed considerably over the years.  When I was a teenager, I often wrote with my friends (several of whom also enjoyed writing), and we wrote anytime, anywhere.  I wrote stories during free time in class, at lunch, during pickleball tournaments, and at home after school.  Often in the summers, I’d stay up half the night working on a story.  Whether with music and conversation or without, in the living room or my bedroom, my ideas flowed freely.

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Hot tea makes great writing fuel, especially in the winter.

In my twenties, it was much the same.  I had a small office space, but it shared room with my washer, dryer, deep freeze, and litterboxes.  With four cats and one litterbox, you can bet it wasn’t long before I needed to take a little writing break, so back to the living room I went.

My twenties actually saw the greatest upheaval

Sublime Rhyme

To read more about Fezzik's great gift, check outThe Princess Bride!

To read more about Fezzik’s great gift, check outThe Princess Bride!

Unlike Fezzik, I do not possess a great gift for rhyme.  That, however, doesn’t stop me  from trying, especially when it’s with a super fun form like the limerick:

It takes a really long time to think
Of rhymes that don’t epically stink.
One rhyme is fine,
And two are sublime,
But from more than that, I do shrink.

Today’s poems are supposed to embrace the imperfect, and be personal, and I think I’ve done that here.  I love poems that rhyme, but rhyming is hard, yo!  What about you – do you like poems that rhyme?  Or do you prefer unrhymed verse?

(c) 2015.  All rights reserved.

Lambent Dreams: A Review

Lambent Dreams Cover5As promised, my review of Lambent Dreams.  What’s it about?  Poetry.  Plain and simple:

The Poetry of Tallis Steelyard. This appropriately slim volume is the fruit of a unique artistic collaboration, bringing together the writings of one of Port Naain’s most major minor poet with the personal commentary of an esteemed cartographer and traveller, and the guiding notes of an informed poet-critic. You cannot say you have not been warned.

The poetry in this book is endlessly fascinating.  I read the whole volume in the course of a morning, punctuated by short bursts of doing my day job, and I can’t wait to go back and read them over more closely to see if I can find some deeper meaning.  (If, of course, there is any deeper meaning.  Sometimes a poem is just a poem.)

My favorite bit is behind this cut!

Photo 365 #343

So today was crazy!  I had my first book signing at Smith’s General Store in the morning, and it was a lot of fun.  I only sold three books (five if you count the two I sold on Wednesday), but it was still a lot of fun.  And we’re talking about doing another one in November during the town’s annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony, where hopefully I’ll do even better.

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Woo! …

Photo 365 #340: Where everybody knows your name

Mmm, reuben and chips, omnomnom!

Mmm, reuben and chips, omnomnom!

Writing, of late, has been an odd sort of chore. I love to write – I yearn to write – but lately when I find myself alone with my thoughts and a pencil, I find that the words won’t come. They used to spill forth from my fingers like fat drops of rain from a heavy summer storm cloud.  They used to burst froth from my pencil like rushing floodwaters through a broken dam.

But now?

Now, I find myself extracting each precious word like a miner with a gem. Or, more accurately, like a  dentist with a particularly stubborn tooth. Bubbles’ first tooth, with its inch-long root and insistence on clinging to his lower gum, springs instantly to mind.

But that’s if the words come at all.

Today, for a change of pace…

Photo 365 #335

When I’m not busy running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I’m still hard at work on The Lokana Chronicles and, as writing has been on my mind quite a lot lately, today’s photo features a progress update:

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Do you leave notes for yourself in the margins of your WIPs?  I do it all the time – if I didn’t, I’d forget everything that crossed my mind while writing. *sigh*

In other news, I’m going to be doing my first book signing next week, and I’m kind of excited about it.  If you’re heading out to the Tama County Fair on Thursday the 16th, stop on over to Smith’s General Store and say hi!  I’ll be there from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., signing books and chatting with anyone who wanders in.  I’m planning a giveaway for those who subscribe to my mailing list (see the link in my sidebar – no spam, I promise!), and I know it’s going to be a ton of fun.

A metric ton, even. 🙂

Also, congratulations to Piper McDermott, the lucky winner of e-book copies of Tuesday Daydreams and A Song for All Seasons!

(c) 2015.  All rights reserved.

Photo 365 #329: The books edition

Yep, today is all about books.  My books, friends’ books, ALL THE BOOKS! 😀

Today is launch day for A.F.E. Smith’s fantastic book, Darkhaven.  She’s having a heck of a great party over on Facebook, where she’s been interviewing authors (including me!) and giving away books all day.  The fun continues tomorrow, so be sure to check it out.

Books!

Books!

In other news, my books arrived today!  After running some errands this morning, we arrived home to a big ol’ box o’ books waiting for us on the front porch.  Since I wasn’t expecting them for another whole week, this was a great surprise.  I’ve already donated a couple to my local library, and I have one place lined up to sell books locally.  It’s been a pretty exciting day. 🙂

And if you want to win an e-copy for your very own, check out my giveaway over on Facebook!  There’s still time to enter, and there are a bunch of other great giveaways so sign up for there as well.

Have a fantastic Thursday, everybody!

(c) 2015.  All rights reserved.

I’m a guest!

Yesterday was a crazy day, and today wasn’t a whole lot better, which is my poor excuse for forgetting that the lovely Viv Drewa was hosting me on her blog yesterday.  I feel awful that I forgot, but at least I remembered now!

She has a wonderful website full of lots of interesting things, which you should totally check out.  And if the mood moves you, you can read my poem about writing poetry. 🙂

(c) 2015.  All rights reserved.

I’m a guest!

Today I’m being interviewed by the wonderful Susan Finlay.  We talk all things writing, so if you’d like to find out more about my books and some of the other kinds of writing I’ve done, be sure to check it out!

And don’t forget to check out Susan’s books.  She’s got three mystery series going, one of which involves time travel, and I can’t wait to check it out. 🙂

(c) 2015.  All rights reserved.